The Cold War could reheat in the Asia-Pacific region and China must strengthen domestic political stability and national security in a deteriorating geopolitical environment, Beijing said in a white paper on Monday.
Ideological subversion “by hostile forces” must be prevented and the rule of the Communist Party must be guaranteed, as the country faces “increasing external security pressure” as well as “unprecedentedly complicated” risks, according to the paper titled “China’s national security in the new era” and issued by the State Council, China’s central government.
“The anti-China forces in the West are trying every possible means to curtail, suppress and contain China,” the document stated. “They are implementing a strategy of ‘westernising and dividing’ and carrying out infiltration and sabotage activities against China.”
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The white paper was issued on the same day that China and the US finished initial tariff negotiations in the countries’ ongoing trade war. The two sides agreed over the weekend to reduce their tariffs on each other’s goods for a 90-day period.
Despite the momentary de-escalation in trade tensions, the rivalry between the world’s two largest economies appears poised to stay high on multiple fronts.
In recent years China has been taking efforts to bolster its domestic resilience, such as in tech self-reliance and defence modernisation, seeking to counter external hostilities amid a complicated geopolitical landscape.
Meanwhile, the Asian giant faces continued confrontation with the Philippines over disputed islands in the South China Sea and heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary.
Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
Beijing is also challenged by closer defence and security cooperation between Washington and its allies in the Asia-Pacific along the first island chain.
“Asia-Pacific has become the spotlight of big power play,” the paper stated.
“Cold War legacy problems could be reheated and unsolved territorial and maritime disputes made more difficult and complicated, being meddled by external forces,” it added.
The paper said the US must not suppress China “from a position of strength”.
It outlined Beijing’s four “red lines” including Taiwan, democracy and human rights, China’s political path and system as well as the right to development, which it said “must not be challenged”.
“The ‘new Cold War’ cannot be fought and cannot be won,” it added. “Containment of China is unwise, ill-advised and will not succeed.”
The document contained a pledge to “resolutely guard against” the promotion of “Western democracy, freedom, human rights and so-called ‘universal values’” by the “overseas anti-China forces” and to strictly prevent and “severely crack down” on infiltration and subversion activities, such as “colour revolutions and street politics”.
“If political security is not guaranteed, China will inevitably fall into a divided and fragmented situation, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will be out of the question,” it warned.
The paper accused “external forces” and “certain individual countries” of posing threats to the security of China’s border and surrounding areas through more active inference in China’s matters with its neighbours as well as its internal affairs.
Such entities had frequently caused trouble on issues relating to Taiwan, the South China Sea, the East China Sea, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the Tibet autonomous region and Hong Kong, it continued.
“China will never allow anyone, any organisation or political party to split any piece of Chinese territory from China at any time and in any form,” according to the paper.
These “certain individual countries” were building up military alliances for bloc confrontation in the Asia-Pacific region and deploying intermediate missile systems that could “seriously worsen regional tension”, the white paper said.
China “opposes the Indo-Pacific strategy” to divide the region, the creation of an “Asia-Pacific version of Nato”, Nato’s expansion of power beyond its borders as well as the nuclear sharing, extended deterrence and deployment of land-based intermediate-range missiles in the region by “certain countries”, it said.
It further noted that non-political issues like natural disasters, safety accidents, public health events and serious criminal incidents could also become political.
“We must enhance sensitivity and discernment in political issues, eliminate various political risks in a timely manner and prevent non-political risks from developing into political risks.”
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